


King Of Hearts

by orphan_account



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, M/M, Maxwell is William, Slow Burn, Wilson is his assistant, eventual gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 00:24:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17415437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “you’re a doll, you are flawlessbut i just can’t wait for love to destroy usi just can’t wait for love,”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello! yes, I’ve made another MaxWil fanfic because I love the pairing so much and see so much potential with both of them. 
> 
> I most likely will delay my other fanfic, but this one I plan on finishing because I have a set idea in mind.
> 
> Each chapter will switch from a third person view point. Occasionally William or Wilson will have back to back chapters in their view points. I’ll put their name at the top so you know who the chapter is revolving around. 
> 
> This is set in a modern time where William never discovered the Codex Umbra and never became Maxwell. Wilson is a science teacher at a middle school who only knows William from the PTA. You’ll have to read to find out more. Enjoy!

Wilson

 

If someone had gone back in time, say about ten years ago, and told Wilson P. Higgsbury he would be sitting in a grotty and dim library situated between two rather plump mothers and a few disgruntled older men in tight blazers with eyes showing nothing but boredom, he would have looked at you and laughed.

 

Unfortunately for him, that was his reality. He had never planned on becoming a teacher. All his life, he wanted to grow up and pursue a dream in some field work involving biology or chemistry. Biotechnology or forensic studies had always been something he rather enjoyed, hell he even would go for being a medical practitioner of some sort if it meant he got to get his grimy little hands on any chemical compound available to him and learn about the human body.

 

He enjoyed sciences. He prized logic and knowledge over anything in this word. He fancied chemistry ever since high school for many reasons. One, he was the one kid during class that flew by on a breeze while his fellow peers struggled to even grasp the concept of stoichiometry. Two, he loved to blow things up. Maybe it sounded a little psychotic, but the rush he got from seeing two chemicals or compounds fuse, and create something new or erupt entirely was exhilarating.

 

But things don’t always work out the way we plan. After high school, Wilson was given the opportunity to actually study in one of those science fields and grab a major in biology or chemistry, so he decided to go with biology. He knew he could very easily snag some kind of job with that bachelor’s degree in hand.

 

He didn’t know that he’d waste four years of his life and precious money for a degree that would secure him a spot in a middle school. Teaching never even crossed his mind throughout his entire high school and college career. He liked children very much so, he saw them as blessings, but he did not have the patience and the temper to teach and especially not to children.

 

Though he found himself slowly being suffocated by his student loans, and having no available jobs near town, he caved and got a teacher’s certificate then ended up applying to become a science teacher at a middle school called Shady Falls Middle School. It was a little middle school right outside of San Francisco, California, in the middle of a ghost town. It was a convenient drive for Wilson since he lived on the outskirts of San-Fran, but every day it seemed harder and harder to get into his car and drive up there. He had always disliked school areas and schools in general, mainly because his own school experience had been a living hell with his mother passing away during high school, and having little to no friends to turn to period. Not to mention his touchy relationship with his father.

 

 

Somehow the science teacher had become well loved among the few students at Shady Falls. He was never really comfortable with crowds or speaking to people in general, but these kids were eager to learn and listen. They didn’t have very much considering how poorly of a town they lived in, so it made Wilson feel a bit pitiful for them. He promised himself he would do his best for them, even though he hated every living second of being a teacher. He hadn’t been a teacher for very long though. He had been at Shady Falls for about a year now, and boy did he meet the strangest of parents and fellow staff members there.

 

The man had became so well loved among parents and children that he was elected the president of the PTA club by his staff. He tried not to look too excited when they had told him.

 

So now, he was glancing around at the parents and guardians of the children among the classes in the middle school, waiting for any input they had about how they could raise money for future school supplies. Every year the school would host something that made kids pay to enter and in return, the school would use those funds to purchase textbooks or supplies for extracurricular activists.

 

“How about we charge more for football games?”

 

“No, that’s highway robbery, and hardly anyone comes to them to begin with.”

 

“What about car washes?”

 

“They’re children, not slaves.”

 

“Maybe we should, like, plan a dance?” The portly woman to his right, who Wilson had remembered was named Tiffany, spoke up, her elbow resting upon the table and her chin settled on the palm of her hand.

 

“A dance? For these kids? They’re like twelve and thirteen years old!” A man snapped, his bushy, graying eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance as he pointed a bony finger over at the woman.

 

“Well I don’t see you bouncing off any ideas, Richard.” She snapped back at him, her cheeks turning a bright scarlet as she shot him a glare.

 

The man grumbled a few words, making Wilson sigh a bit too loudly. He knew he’d have to save this before the parents went a-wire and started going at it like wild hyenas fighting over scraps.

 

The science teacher pushed his wooden chair back, cringing at the squeaky noise the legs made from rubbing against the rubbery library floor, stood up, and placed his hands down upon the table to grab the attention of the parents who had begun to hastily snap at one another.

 

He cleared his throat, smoothing back his raven locks with a slightly calloused hand as he began to speak.

 

“I actually quite like that idea, Tiffany,” The man politely gave the woman a smile, making her beam under his gaze and grin broadly.

 

“-but I think maybe if we do host a dance for these kids, we should have teachers and parents chaperone so it doesn’t turn in to a commotion, like one you fear may happen, sir.” Wilson glanced back over at the Richard man to see him reaching for his jacket, but stopping abruptly when he was called out.

 

“We can make it something cute for them, yeah? Maybe a Valentine’s Day dance? We can get someone to cater and hire a DJ, set up the gym all nice with strobe lights and such. I think it’ll be good. Maybe we can charge five dollars a kid?” He held out his fingers as he listed off the things they could purchase or do for the dance, earning the approving gazes and nods from the parents.

 

“I know a man who can cater.”

 

“My friend is a DJ.”

 

“I can chaperone.”

 

A few of the parents began to list off what they could and couldn’t do for the brewing idea, and much to Wilson’s surprise everyone could fill a void somewhere. He would have to run it by the principal, he made sure to remind them of that little fact, but he was certain the man wouldn’t mind one bit. If it got him green, then he would allow just about anything to go down.

 

Wilson gave the parents around him an approving gaze. It was times like this, times where they came to a mutual agreement and respect for one another, that he appreciated being nominated for this role. He reached for a clipboard and pen to allow everyone to write down what they could do, his chest swelled with slight pride. Before he could slide the board over to the Tiffany woman, the door to the library opened with a creak, and all pairs of eyes darted from the science teacher to the new person.

 

Standing in the middle of the doorway was a rather tall and lanky looking fellow. He was wearing a white collared shirt with a pinstriped, cognac colored vest and brown slacks to match. His tie was loose and messily done and his round framed glasses were hanging slightly off of his nose. The man’s dark hair was swept to the side as if he had hastily done it in two seconds. He looked a bit shaken up and when he saw everyone was staring at him, his pale cheeks turned rosy.

 

“M-my apologizes! Oh, dear. Uh..I’m sorry I’m late.” The thick accent that left his lips was English and clear as day.

 

He carefully let the door close behind him before he began to walk towards the group of parents and the science teacher. The man looked like he could jump out of his skin at any given moment if he so very felt the need.

 

“Hello, William. No need to apologize. We were just talking about setting up a Valentine’s Day dance for the children. Everyone is filling out what they’d like to do to contribute and their names.” Wilson gave the other a calm smile, watching the look of fear and uncertainty dim down a bit when the English man took a seat.

 

Wilson returned to passing out the clipboard for the parents, examining all of them as they wrote down their name, phone numbers, and what they planned on doing to help. As they finished, Wilson dismissed them one by one until the only two people left in the room was William and himself.

 

William Carter was an English man that had moved from London to America very recently from what Wilson had been told by William’s nieces, Wendy and Abigail. The two twin girls were in his first period class, so their bright faces were the first things that greeted him every morning.

 

When Wilson had began the semester and had a parent meeting night, he had met William and his brother, Jack. William apparently lived with them for reasons Wilson hadn’t bothered to delve deep into, and Jack seemed to be the one who worked constantly while William handled domestic situations like taking the girls to school or handling the home environment.

 

It hadn’t surprised him when William had signed up for the PTA. The man was very sweet and loved his nieces more than anything. It was a bit heartwarming for Wilson. He felt a tad envy over it though. He wished his childhood had been filled with so much love from someone.

 

Wilson began to stack up the papers lying across the library’s round table. He grabbed his hydro flask that was situated next to his black book satchel and strapped his satchel on, releasing a small pent up sigh. His tired eyes darted over to where William was seated, watching the man scribble his name down in sloppy cursive writing.

 

When he finished, he stood up and shakily handed Wilson the clipboard, offering him a small smile. Wilson expected him to leave then and there, but the man stood there dumbfounded for a moment before shock hit him and he blinked.

 

“O-oh! I..- Once again, I’m very sorry for missing your meeting and rudely interrupting. It won’t happen again.” He clasped his hands together as he spoke, his side pushed up against the back part of the wooden chair.

 

Wilson couldn’t help but give him a gentle smile. He could very easily relate to Mr. Carter’s nervousness and fidgety nature himself. Wilson still felt nervous being in such a crowded area and speaking to so many adults and students, but he had learned to fake a face and swallow his anxiety for a short second to get his words out.

 

“It’s fine, Mr. Carter. Please don’t worry, okay?” Wilson glanced down at the clipboard, his honey colored eyes searching to find William’s name.

 

When they finally did, he saw the words ‘chaperone’ next to it and his phone number and email. Wilson couldn’t help but give a small snort at it. The man most likely wanted to watch over his sweet nieces at the dance. How charming.

 

“Ah, alright. Thank you, Mr. Higgsbury. Um..will you be sending out an email about the date and such?”

 

“Mhm. When I get approval from our principal, I’ll let you all know and we can discuss.” The science teacher moved his hand forward to motion for William to follow him as he began to head towards the library doors.

 

The two men walked together in silence, the only noise was the tapping of their heeled loafers against the murky gray and black tiles of the school floor. Wilson glanced over at the rather tall gentleman and studied him for a second, giving a slight frown.

 

From what information Wendy and Abi had given him, which was quite a lot since those two loved to over share their family stories and history, William had moved to America to pursue his dream career as an illusionist. He had only assumed that’s why he lived with his brother.

 

Being a man of science, Wilson had found that idea incredibly ignorant and to put bluntly- stupid.

 

He did not quite understand the entire fascination people had with illusions and magics. He found them boring, illogical, and underwhelming. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he actually didn’t like it because he could never figure out the tricks and it upset him that something couldn’t exactly be explained with scientific facts and nature.

 

He wondered if the messy appearance had been from William rushing from one of his silly magic shows to the school. The few times he saw the man, he was usually very nicely dressed and had his hair combed. Wilson scoffed at the thought of the magic shows. He didn’t want to be mean, honestly he had no intent on it, but he just found it...silly. He was a grown man and he thought maybe William should invest in something serious so he could support himself or his nieces and brother.

 

As the science teacher checked out the man’s clothing once more, his eyes trailed lower to the man’s other half. He hadn’t meant to glance over at the English man’s ass, but when he did he noticed a little card sticking out from his pocket. Wilson blinked, holding back a laugh that dared to slip past his pale lips. Oh, this man.

 

“King of hearts.” The shorter of the two stated nonchalantly as they exited the school building and began to head towards the parking lot. It was dark outside, so Wilson had to squint a bit to find his car.

 

“Excuse me?” William rose a brow at the science teacher, not understand what he had meant.

 

Wilson sent him a small smirk and moved a hand down to leisurely slip the card from the other man’s back pocket, careful to not touch any part of his behind. He held the card up for William as they walked side by side, grinning at him mischievously.

 

In between his thumb and pointer finger was none other than a King of hearts cards. The king’s solemn face mirrored the face William shot back at Wilson when he saw what the man had.

 

“Why, yes. That is a King of hearts.” William’s cheeks were a light scarlet as he moved a hand forward and snatched the card up, ignoring the grin Wilson was giving him.

 

“How’s the magic business?” The science teacher finally asked when William tucked the card away in to his back pocket once again, a frown still plastered on his rather thick lips.

 

He never seriously had a chance to sit down and speak to the man about it. He knew he wasn’t in any position to really be getting close to him or even attempting to, but it was small talk and Wilson would be lying if he said he wasn’t seriously interested in how his students’ uncle was holding up.

 

“O-oh..it’s alright. I’m still getting the hang of things, you see. Business is just slow.” William gave him a smile of discomfort as he spoke, fidgeting with his thumbs.

 

Wilson nodded, though he could see past the man’s charade. He knew William wasn’t the best at magic, yet the man still enjoyed it for some reason. Maybe he just liked the idea of becoming famous and living in luxury, or maybe he genuinely wished to be good at magic. The science teacher didn’t know, and he felt no need to delve deeper into the man’s personal life.

 

Wilson adjusted the collar of his white button up shirt and gave a small hum in response. He genuinely wished the best for this man. He was a rather kind and patient fellow that never seemed to seriously complain too much. He was always a pleasure to have at the PTA meetings because while the other parents were arguing with one another or ignoring each other entirely, William would calmly sit there and attempt to listen to Wilson or give small input to the other parents.

 

The two men rounded a corner and Wilson came upon his worn out, black Malibu. It was an older model he had purchased from a family friend way back when. The leather was worn out and had little cracks here and there, and he had to replace the taillights so many times that he just about lost count.

 

He took his keys out from his front pants pocket and unlocked the door, the heavy breath he had been holding in escaped him and his tensed shoulders relaxed at the thought of leaving.

 

The scientist looked back over to see William watching him. He rose a brow at the lanky magician and turned to face him, keys still in hand.

 

“Need something, Mr. Carter?”

 

The taller man jumped slightly, his eyes going wide when he realized he was just standing there. His cheeks turned a dark scarlet and he began to fumble over his words, though he was stuttering so much and looked so shaky that Wilson couldn’t help but smile.

 

“S-sorry! I kind of spaced out..u-uh.. I’ll be going now! Sorry for any inconveniences, Mr. Higgsbury. I hope you have a nice weekend!” William smiled nervously, glancing around for where he had parked his car so he could bolt before he made things even more awkward.

 

“That’s alright. You too, William.” Wilson gave him a nod and watched the man wave at him and walk off to the silver Civic he had parked at the very end of the lot.

 

When Wilson finally got into his car, he started it up and began to head home. He couldn’t wait to spend his weekend sitting on the couch, even though he knew he’d most likely be grading papers from his classes. At least he’d be at home though. He glanced over at his radio and turned on some old 80’s music. Make fun of him all you want, but he quite enjoyed older music than anything people listened to nowadays, but he wouldn’t flaunt it like it made him special. He just had different tastes.

 

He began to drive, remembering how he needed to head to the store and pick up something to make dinner with. Pasta sounded good..or maybe he’d just go out and eat. He lived alone, of course, so it felt kind of silly to go home on a Friday night and cook something. He could just get takeout. Grab some Chinese food and go home to grade papers sounded a bit ideal.

 

Wilson hummed along to whatever random 80’s song he had found on a station and drove himself towards the small town of Shady Falls. It was a relatively secluded town and was a tad run down, but it managed. His house wasn’t too far from the town itself, so he decided to go ahead and grab something to eat there instead of driving into San Francisco.

 

He spotted a little Chinese takeout restaurant and he pulled up and parked his car, then went ahead in side and order something to go.

 

It took them about fifteen minutes to make his meal, but when it was done, he knew it would be worth it. His stomach growled lightly as he paid for the food and thanked the woman at cash register before he exited.

 

When he got back outside, the science teacher glanced around at the stores that lined the block near the Chinese place. There were small convent stores, a library, a place he assumed their town hall, and a little theatre. He smiled lightly. It was quite a cute town, but he liked San Francisco a little more.

 

Though he could hardly afford his rent in San Francisco anyhow. Maybe if he moved to this town he could actually purchase a house instead of renting one out. A teacher’s salary was hard to live on, but he never imagined he would be living on one to begin with anyways.

 

He walked over to his car and opened the passenger side door to place the food down. He considered buckling it in to make sure it wouldn’t fall off the seat, but he thought that would make him look dumb so he just shut the door and began to walk back towards the driver’s side.

 

He stopped when he saw a young mother and her child walk towards the theater, the little boy was practically dragging his mother. He looked all kinds of excited and it warmed Wilson’s heart a bit. He really wondered what the child was so eager to o watch.

 

He didn’t see any posters hanging up outside the theatre to show what was going on, and he didn’t even see that many people go up to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket either. Maybe it was some kind of children’s show? Then again, many people had children in this town. He taught half the kids that lived there. 

 

For a moment, he considered getting back into his car and driving home. It didn’t matter what was going on at that theatre. It was a Friday night and he had a long day, but curiosity was a sin that kept tugging at him and he eventually gave in.

 

He locked his car door and walked towards the theatre, trying to see if there were any posters that he might have not seen from before, but he didn’t see any.

 

Wilson approached the ticket booth and he saw an older man sitting there was his head in hands. He looked tired and was probably wishing he could be anywhere but in that little booth right now. Wilson could relate to that feeling when he was at school.

 

“Excuse me? What’s showing?” The science teacher asked, startling the old fellow. He glared up at Wilson, but ceased when he saw the man was a customer.

 

“Ah, some magician fellow. He comes here a few times a night to preform. He’s friends with the owner or sumthin’.” The man mumbled in between a long yawn, sitting back in the chair under him.

 

Wilson gave a frown at his words. Magician. Instantly his mind jumped to William Carter.

 

He really hoped that poor man wasn’t here trying to show off some magical tricks he probably YouTubed on his cell phone. Second hand embarrassment was starting to creep up his spine, making Wilson cringe lightly.

 

No. He shouldn’t just assume something. And he shouldn’t be having such ungentlemanly, rude thoughts about that sweet man. He mentally punched himself and brought his wallet out. Maybe this magician fellow was pretty good. Or maybe he wasn’t. Or maybe he was William.

 

“How much?”

 

“It’s just five dollars.”

 

Wilson blinked and brought out a five dollar bill. Huh. That was pretty cheap. He shook his head and the man slid him an admission ticket, then the science teacher walked through the cracked, wooden doors into the theatre.

 

When Wilson said it was small, believe him, it was small. The moment he opened the door, he was greeted with rows of seats and an alit wooden stage. The theatre itself was very old time-ish, as the stage looked like it was wooden and was covered in some kind of black cloth to hide the fact it was wooden. The lights hanging above with pointed down and shining upon the performer on the stage, whom was holding a deck of cards in his hands.

 

Upon further examination, Wilson’s heart sunk lightly and he let out an exaggerated sigh. Standing upon the stage was the one person he was hoping it wasn’t.

 

 _William_.

 

He considered turning and leaving, but when he saw there was only the mother and her son, and an elderly couple in the first couple of rows, Wilson forced himself to find a seat in the back and stay. He also didn’t feel like wasting his money, even if five dollars wasn’t too much to actually waste.

 

Wilson leaned back in the red, velvet seat and looked up at the man. He was in some kind of purple-ish gray suit with a red bow tie on and his hair slicked back a little bit. God, that suit was hideous. What was he thinking? Usually he dressed very dapperly. The science teacher gave a chuckle to himself as he watched him, shaking his head.

 

 

William took the stack of cards and held them up for the small crowd to see. He obviously hadn’t noticed Wilson, which made the scientist relieved. He wouldn’t know how to exactly explain himself being there without sounding like a weirdo.

 

“For my final trick of the night, I will need a volunteer from the crowd!” William gave them a nervous smile, his hands shaking slightly as he glanced around.

 

The little boy from before was raising his hand high, waving it for William to call on him, and one of the elderly women that were sitting together raised her hand as well, though William didn’t pay them any mind.

 

“Uh..you, sir! In the back row! H-how about you? Please?” Wilson’s blood turned to ice when he heard what the English man had said. Oh shit. He meant him.

 

He cleared his throat, trying to lower his voice down a few octaves.

 

“I’m good, thanks.” He coughed out, sounding like a complete moron. Shit. William was going to be so confused and think his nieces’ teacher was a creeper.

 

“Please, sir? Just for one last trick?” The man asked again, and Wilson knew that there was no way possible he was gonna be able to weasel outta this one.

 

He slowly stood up, forcing his legs of jello to move with him as he approached the stage. His heart was thumping a bit and his hands felt sorta sweaty. This was about to make for an extremely awkward situation.

 

When he walked upon the stage, he forced himself to stare down so he wouldn’t make direct eye contact with William. He only glanced up when he heard the man whisper his name in surprise.

 

He held a face of someone who had seen a ghost, then it vanished and was replaced with confusion, then his cheeks turned red and he began to stutter even more than he had before. Wilson looked him in the eye and lightly shook his head, egging him to get on with the trick.

 

“U-uh..o-okay..can you..can you take a card, please?” He held the deck out, his large hands shaking in the process.

 

Wilson frowned, silently cursing himself. God this was so stupid. He was so stupid. He probably ruined this poor man’s act now because he was just an idiot who wanted to check out what was going on.

 

Wilson hesitantly took a card from the deck William was holding out and stared down at it, examining it.

 

“Good..uh..once you memorize what’s on the card, put it back in the deck.” William frowned, holding the deck back out for Wilson.

 

The scientist studied it for a second and memorized the Ace of spades, then slid it face down into William’s deck and stared at the man intensively.

 

He didn’t like magic, he didn’t like these tricks, but he did like William Carter and he didn’t want to see the man fail and embarrass himself, so he gave him a smile of encouragement only to see William’s entire face bloom into a darker red.

 

William awkwardly smiled back at him and began to shuffle the deck a bit, allowing Wilson to see every single card. When he finally finished, he held the cards up for Wilson and grabbed one, confidently showing it to the other man with a nervous grin.

 

“Is..this your card?”

 

Wilson examined the card, his heart sinking. _Ah_ _fuck_.

 

It was the king of hearts.

 

Wilson smiled up at the magician, examining the nervous and almost pleading look that crossed his face. He looked so pitiful that part of Wilson just wanted to reach out and hug him, which really surprised Wilson himself for having that thought.

 

He wasn’t about to let this man be embarrassed. He wasn’t about to hurt his feelings or ruin his potential career either. So he did what anyone in his situation would do.

 

He crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked from William to the card back to William again.

 

“Yep. King of hearts.”

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

William

 

A loud groan of displeasure left the thick lips of the English man as he glared over at his cell phone. The buzzing alarm clock he set had gone off and he was almost tempted to hit snooze, but he needed to get up and take Wendy and Abigail to school. He refused to let them ride a school bus because they were dangerous and during winter they were very cold, andWilliam couldn’t bear the though of putting his girls through that.

 

He got up, stretching out his rather long legs and marveled at the cracks of his bones. A small moan released from his lips as he stood up and grabbed his rounded glasses from his bed side table, then shoved them on to the bridge of his nose.

 

He exited his bedroom and headed down to the twins’ room, lightly knocking on the door. They usually were awake by now, but he just wanted to check and make sure.

 

Abigail opened the door, her bright blues staring up into the man’s own brown ones and she gave a squeal before she hugged his midsection tightly.

 

“Uncle William! Good morning!” The little girl giggled out, making her uncle smile sweetly and returned her hug.

 

“Good morning, sweetheart. Where’s your sister?” William asked, moving one hand off of Abi to open the door fully.

 

Wendy was sitting on her bed, her arms crossed over her chest as she was still dressed in her nightgown. William gave a confused look to her and Abigail pulled off so that William could walk into their bedroom.

 

“Wendy? Are you alright?” The magician asked, leaning down on his knees to face her. Abigail stood behind him, smiling brightly as usual.

 

Wendy’s dull blue eyes turned to almost glare at her uncle. She was always such a scary little girl that it sent chills down William’s spine. Unlike her sister, she was more blunt, serious, and angry for a twelve year old. Abigail was kindhearted, easy going, and giddy all the time.

 

“I do not want to go to school.” Wendy huffed, glaring at her uncle and then over at her sister, who was giving tiny giggles.

 

William blinked, raising a brow at her. She didn’t want to go to school? That was a new one. Both girls seemed to enjoy school for different reasons, but nonetheless they always wanted to go.

 

“And why’s that?” William asked her, giving Abigail a look of confusion at her little giggles and bounces.

 

“Because she likes a boy, Uncle William!” Abigail laughed, making Wendy glare over at her and stand up.

 

“I do not like a boy! Stop telling people I like him!” The younger of the twins grabbed her nearby pillow and chunked it over at her sister, making Abi squeal.

 

Abigail grabbed a doll from her bed and threw it back at Wendy, hitting her in the side, though Wendy didn’t seem too phased.

 

“Wendy and Webber sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Abigail taunted, giggling when she saw Wendy’s face turn bright red and an angry expression soon taking over.

 

“Woah, woah. Hold on now.” William frowned, grabbing Wendy’s shoulders to keep her from lunging at her sister or throwing any more objects at her.

 

“Who’s Webber?” He asked the girls, earning different responses from both.

 

“Nobody.”

“A boy!”

 

Wendy looked a little angry and Abi was giggling softly, bouncing on her toes as she looked over at her uncle. William gave them a kind smile and a small chuckle. Ah. It wasn’t uncommon for little girls to have crushes he supposed. He just couldn’t believe it was Wendy having one and not Abigail. This boy must be pretty special or pretty weird.

 

“I see. Well..you know what they say; boys have cooties.” He joked, giving Wendy a gentle pat on the head.

 

He wouldn’t push the topic. It was just a crush and Wendy was perfectly capable of handling herself in these situations. Plus, they were only kids. Nothing bad would happen.

 

“Ugh, whatever.” Wendy shook her head and stood up before she began to push her uncle outta the room, much to his confusion.

 

“I’m gonna change now. We’ll be down in a second.” Wendy told the man when he flashed her a look, but he gave a curtnod shortly after and exited their bedroom.

 

William let a small smile ghost his lips as he turned from their closed door and headed downstairs to make them breakfast and lunch. He usually did this all the time, but occasionally if he worked later Jack would prepare their lunches the day before and put them in the fridge.

 

Not today though. Jack had to go in early for some reason. His poor brother worked so hard to provide for all of them at his small office job and it occasionally caused so much self pity to rise in William that he felt depressed. Whatever earnings he made from his small shows, he’d give them to Jack to make up for not paying for rent or groceries. Of course, his brother would always say no, but William forced him to accept it anyways.

 

He went ahead and made both of the girls some toast and scrambled eggs since they had a hot minute to eat, then made both of them a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich, packed then a juice box, and some potato chips.

 

It wasn’t before long that Wendy and Abigail came from out of their room. William has set up their breakfast and fixed them some orange juice. He usually ate with them and watched the news or whatever talk show was currently on at the time, though today he just sat there with the two and quietly ate.

 

“Uncle William! I think Webber is gonna ask Wendy to dance tonight!” Abigail grinned as she took a sip of her orange juice, earning a glare from her sister.

 

“He isn’t.” Wendy huffed, shoving a fork full of egg into her mouth and chewed silently.

 

William smiled at them and gave a low chuckle. He almost had forgotten about that silly little dance Wilson was hosting.

 

Ah. Wilson.

 

The air between Mr. Higgsbury and himself was still a tad awkward and strained even if what had happened occurred almost three weeks ago. During his performance, he knew he had messed up the trick. He had forgotten a crucial step about moving the deck around so he’d grab Wilson’s chosen card. Instead, Wilson had lied for him and pretended William pulled the right card.

 

He was extremely thankful towards the man that night. He may have done it out of pity, but William didn’t care. It just showed how kind of a person Wilson truly was. He didn’t know William too well, yet he still cushioned his fall.

 

_“Is this your card?”_

 

_“Yep. King of hearts.”_

 

_William’s nervous face turned to a look of surprise and then a look of pure gratitude as the few people in the crowd started clapping for him. He stared at Wilson with a small smile, noting the small smirk playing on the other man’s lips as he glanced from him to the crowd._

 

_“Thank you all for coming out tonight, and thank you, sir, for your assistance!” William turned abruptly to the people, giving them a smile and a small bow._

 

_He heard Wilson clapping beside him and he leaned back up after a moment of bowing. The people in the crowd gathered their belongings and began to leave until it was just Wilson and William upon the stage._

 

_William turned towards the science teacher, his lips slightly parted as he searched for the right words to say to him. He wondered why the scientist was there in the first place. Had he followed William? No, of course not. This man wasn’t a creep, though he didn’t know him all too well so maybe he could be._

 

_Then again it was probably just a coincidence. William hadn’t put any posters out to show it was him inside, so Wilson couldn’t have known for a fact William was the one performing. He just got lucky was all._

 

_Or unlucky._

 

_“Thank you, Mr. Higgsbury.” William finally breathed out, looking over as he saw Wilson preparing to walk off the stage._

 

_“No problem. I guess card tricks aren’t your forte, huh?” He heard the slight teasing tone in the man’s voice and his ears suddenly became very hot from embarrassment._

 

_He knew he hadn’t picked Wilson’s card._

 

_“I’m still..learning.” The magician frowned, glancing down at the stack of playing cards in his hands. He shook his head and shoved them into his front pocket. He felt like such an idiot._

 

_Wilson gave a nod in response and stopped abruptly to glance over at the items situated upon the stage, taking it all in._

 

_He saw a round table with a top hat situated upon it and if he listened close enough, he could hear some little sniffing and squeaking from within it. William sure did fancy older tricks._

 

_“You need help cleaning up?” Wilson asked, turning towards the other man with a hand on his hip._

 

_William blinked, looking like a deer stuck in headlights. Nobody ever asked him to help pack up his things, not even the security that was usually seen walking around the theaters he would preform at. He never brought much to begin with, but some help would be appreciated._

 

_“O-oh..yes, thank you.” The magician smiled at him brightly, nodding over to the round table with the hat on top of it._

 

_He walked over to the round table and picked up the top hat, then removed the violet cloth on top of the table and began to fold it up._

 

_Wilson approached him and looked down into the small hole that was inside of the table to see two little rabbits laying down on their plump bellies. The man gave a small smile and leaned down to grab one. He grabbed it by the scruff of his neck and held it against his chest, grinning up at William._

 

_“So that’s how it’s done. I always assumed so.” Wilson nodded to him, rubbing his fingers through the cream colored fur of the little bunny._

 

_The bunny nuzzled into him and sniffed his button up shirt, her little whiskers and nose twitching wildly. It made William chuckle and he bent down to scoop up the other rabbit._

 

_“Just put her in that cage over there.” He nodded towards the back end of the stage where a rabbit cage was settled against a wall._

 

_Wilson gave a nod and the two men walked over to it before placing both rabbits inside. William latched the lock and he picked it up by the top handle, holding the rolled up table cover under his armpit._

 

_“Thank you, again. You’ve..been quite a lot of help today.” William told him, earning a curt nod from the science teacher._

 

_“Sure. It’s the least I can since your girls are such angels in class.” Wilson grinned, making William laugh and roll his eyes. Yeah, maybe Abi was, but not Wendy._

 

_“I should..get going. It’s late. Take care of yourself, William.” Wilson glanced down at the watch on his right wrist, his brow furrowing._

 

_William gave a nod and thanked the man once again before wishing him goodbye. He watched Wilson exit off the stage and then leave through the front doors. He owed that man a lot after today. He saved him from embarrassment twice and even helped him out during his act. He promised himself that he would do whatever he could to make sure the dance went smoothly._

 

“Time to go girls. Grab your things.”

 

William looked over as he cleaned off the dishes, watching Abigail and Wendy scuttle around and grab their lunch bags and backpacks. He placed the wet dishes upon a dishrag sitting on the counter and dried his hands, then grabbed his car keys and motioned for his nieces to follow him out the door.

 

The drive towards the school was short as they lived close in town. William pulled up and got into the line where the other parents were dropping off their kids as well, and when Abi and Wendy got out, he wished them a good day and gave them a small wave.

 

He watched the twins from his side mirror as they walked together towards the school, smiling to himself. God, he loved those girls. They were like his pride and joy. Sometimes he wished for children of his own, but he didn’t think he’d be too good of a father. He couldn’t provide for himself too much, nonetheless his own child.

 

William released the breath he didn’t know he was holding and began to make his way back home. Last night, Wilson had sent out an email to the parents of the PTA club and reminded them that the dance was tonight. The staff and himself had decorated the gym up and the caterer and DJ would be arriving once school ended. He asked that everyone who signed up to chaperon be there by 5:30 pm, 30 minutes before the actual dance.

 

William had almost forgotten he signed up for that. Well at least the girls would have fun. He knew he’d probably stand there awkwardly and do nothing for the past hour, but it was no big deal. He was use to feeling awkward and lonely by now, as shitty as that did sound.

 

When he got home, he set on doing his daily house chores like the laundry and the dishes. He also cleaned up Wendy and Abigail’s bedroom just so they could hurry and get ready when they arrived home.

 

Sometimes he considered getting a pet to keep him company while everyone else was out, but he knew it would probably just burden Jack, as that was just another mouth to feed. He let out a small sigh and walked towards his bedroom, finally realizing just how early it really was.

 

He set an alarm for three o’clock, as he really didn’t have any reason for being up again. Wendy and Abigail took the bus home from school, so he could help the two of them prepare for the dance and also get ready himself. He hated that he had to make them go thirty minutes early beforehand, but it meant they could be the first kids inside which was kinda cool, he guessed.

 

William gave a smile and laid down upon his bed, a blissful sigh escaping his lips. He didn’t bother removing his glasses and before long, he had passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

William

 

The alarm blaring put the magician into a slightly pissy mood, as did the small knocks from the front door. He glanced over at his cell phone, notching he had sleep a good twenty minutes past his alarm. Shit. Those poor girls. How long has they been standing out there? 

 

William jumped up, not bothering to turn off the ringing, and ran straight towards the door. He grabbed the knob and swung it open, frowning as he made contact with his two nieces.

 

Wendy looked pretty pissed off and Abigail was just a little startled and upset looking, but when she saw her uncle she gave him a small smile.

 

“Finally.” Wendy huffed, walking past the man. She threw her backpack down and made her way towards the kitchen to grab a snack.

 

“Hi, Uncle William!” Abigail chirped to him, giving him a hug like she always did when she got him.

 

William hugged her back, pulling her inside so he could close the door. Guilt sunk into his chest, but he ignored it. He really hoped they hadn’t been there long.

 

“I’m sorry, girls. I had fallen asleep.

 

“It’s okay! We were only there for five minutes, I think.” Abi let go of him and ran towards the kitchen like her sister had done.

 

She found Wendy sitting on the counter with an apple in her hand, munching on it diligently. William followed after Abi and watched the younger of the twins search for her favorite fruit snacks from the pantry. When she found them, she pulled back and had William open the pack for her.

 

“So..are you two ready for the dance? Got your dresses out and such? I can do your hair if you want-“

 

“We’re fine. Dad ironed our dresses last night and we can do each other’s hair.” Wendy interrupted him, making William blink, but give a slow nod and smile.

 

Wendy jumped down from the counter and threw away her half-eaten apple, then began to walk towards their bedroom. Abigail glanced up at her uncle and gave him another grin before she followed after her sister. He heard the door shut and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to persuade them to let him help. Oh well. He guessed they were big girls now.

 

William set off to his room to take care of himself as well. He took a well needed shower and brushed his teeth, then picked out something nice to wear. Of course, he was just chaperoning, but he always wanted to look well put together. He settled on a nice white, button up shirt and a light gray sweater vest with some black slacks. Yes. This look screamed chaperon.

 

He brushed his hair in its normal, side flipped manner and put on some of his nicest cologne. He thought he looked rather nice if he did say so himself.

 

When he finished getting ready, he stepped outside of his bedroom and glanced at the clock on his cell phone. They had thirty minutes left before they needed to go to the school, so he decided to check up on Wendy and Abigail and tell them.

 

The girls were way ahead of him though. They had left their bedroom and were sitting in the living room, giggling to each other about something out of earshot. When William saw them, he gave them both a huge grin and a chuckle. They looked so adorable in their little wine red dresses and curled pig tails and bows. He wished Jack was there to see them now.

 

“You two look so cute. Let me get a picture for your father.” He told them, signaling for them to stand up and pose together.

 

Wendy grumbled about not wanting to, but Abi grabbed her arm and forced her up. She brought her sister to her side and they stood together, both of them giving small smiles as William took out his cell phone and snapped a quick photo of them. He sent it to Jack, but didn’t get a reply right away.

 

“Thank you, girls. I think we should start heading out, but first come take one of those ‘selfies’ with me.” The man chuckled, making Wendy groan and Abi giggle.

 

They ran over to him and took a quick photo with him before he turned his phone off and led his two nieces out the door. They both looked pretty excited for the dance, even though Wendy was acting like she wasn’t, he knew she was.

 

When they arrived to the school, there were a few teachers hanging up banners outside and a couple of cars were parked in the parking lot. William parked as well, and he and the girls made their way towards the school.

 

The inside was directed in a pinkish-red theme with streamers, banners, balloons, and lights. There was a photo booth set up in the far corner of the commons hall for the kids and the gym had the DJ and the dance floor. There were some tables set up nearby and one of the parents was setting up the food vendor station for the kids who wanted to eat.

 

William looked around for any familiar face. God, where were the other parents? Where was- oh..there he was.

 

He looked over when he saw Wilson staring at one of the teachers who was hanging a banner. He was pointing at his wrist watch and telling the teacher they didn’t have very much time so they needed to finish quickly. He looked a bit on edge and really stressed. It made William feel sorry for him.

 

“Mr. Carter! Can you come help us with these balloons?” He heard a woman call from a far. William nodded over to her and turned back to Wendy and Abigail to see them running over to hug Wilson.

 

The scienceteacher looked taken aback for a moment at the sight of them, but he relaxed soon after and glanced up to meet William’s chestnut brown eyes with his own brandy ones. He sent him a kind smile as he wrapped his arms around the man’s nieces and bent down to squeeze them both.

 

William caught himself staring and quickly pulled himself from his trance, cheeks dusting a light pink. He made his way over to the parent that asked for his help and together they began to blow up a different assortment of pink and red balloons until his face had gone red and his lungs breathless.

 

A few minutes had passed and found Wendy and Abigail helping Wilson boss around some more people to hurry and set up directions. They even got to help the DJ chose some of the music to play during the dance.

 

Finally, once everything had been placed and ready to go, Wilson allowed the doors to be opened and started letting kids come in. Two mothers sat at a long table with some little blue admission tickets and a black money box to collect the funds as the kids bought their tickets. William had made sure to pay for both Wendy and Abigail in advance before everyone began to pile in, so they two girls stood around and waited for their friends to get admission.

 

The dance went on normally for a bit. Kids came in, ate, danced, mingled. Some took pictures together at the photographer booth, some stood around awkwardly against the wall or played on their cell phones. William could relate. The whole time, he stood against a wall and watched the kids with a keen eye, making sure nothing bad happened like a fight or anything inappropriate. The most he saw all night from the kids was a handle hold or kiss on the cheek.

 

He had tried to spot Wendy or Abigail a few times in the crowd, but he never saw them. He trusted them both enough to be okay and gave them their space and freedom they deserved. He just wished he wasn’t alone. He felt so awkward and out of place, even if he was among children.

 

“Mr. Carter.”

 

William jumped when he heard someone approach him. He had to strain his ears to even make out their voice throughthe blaring music. He turned around and saw Wilson approaching him, two clear cups of some pinkish juice in each.

 

Now that Wilson was closer to him, he could see how the man had dressed for the occasion.

 

He was wearing a light grey button up shirt with a black sweater over it and some dress jeans. His hair was styled back as usual and when he got closer to William, he could smell the man’s cologne. It was almost a sweet scent, which was strange for a cologne smelly, but he wasn’t complaining.

 

William sent him a smile and took the juice from the man, giving him a nod in thanks. He brought the glass up to his lips and took a sip, giving a hum at the tangy sweet flavor. It was pink lemonade.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Higgsbury.” He told him when he removed the glass and licked his lips. Wilson gave a nod and stood beside him, glancing around at the students as they walked around and talked or danced.

 

“I think we did a rather fine job.” Wilson grinned, looking up at William for approval. William gave a chuckle and nodded in agreement. The dance was rather nice and well put together. He didn’t doubt Wilson for one moment when the man was put in charge.

 

“Well you are a fine man and a teacher. It doesn’t surprise me you pulled this off in a few weeks.” William shrugged, taking another sip of the pink lemonade.

 

Wilson stared up at him for a moment, a small look of what William thought was surprise on his face, but it quickly faded and he shook his head, then eyed William for a split second.

 

“Thank you. You are a fine man yourself.” The science teacher snorted, scoffing to cover up a small laugh. William didn’t hear the laugh though.

 

The two stood there quietly, occasionally saying a few words about this or that or something that was happening at the dance. It usually would just go right back to a blissful silence between the two. It didn’t feel awkward, which William was thankful for. Wilson wasn’t trying to force a conversation upon him, and Wilson himself really didn’t need a conversation to survive either. He was fine like this.

 

It wasn’t until Wilson brought up the events from a few weeks back.

 

“How’s your magic business?” The short man questioned, glancing up to see a look of uncertainty pass over William’s features. Ah. Deja Vu.

 

“Ah, i-it’s okay. Things are still slow, you know?” Luckily for him, Wilson didn’t question it anymore. He gave William a nod and a small smile, turning his attention back to the kids.

 

In all honestly, William hadn’t gotten a gig in a bit. People just didn’t want to hire an armature magician anymore. All the venues he had gotten a one shot performance at turned him down the next time he attempt to go there. He just hadn’t made enough money or rounded up enough people to secure himself a good spot.

 

“You know, from what I saw during that night, I think you should probably master that card trick first.” Wilson grinned up at him mischievously, making William roll his eyes and turn away.

 

“Yeah, I know. I’m working on it.”

 

“I also think maybe you should hire an assistant? I mean, don’t magicians usuallyhave those? Like a pretty woman to help them out and clean up with them afterwards? If you had someone else with you I think it could make your act easier and maybe you two could learn together.” The science teacher shrugged, looking over as William turned back to face him.

 

He had never really considered that before. An assistant, huh? Well..maybe it did sound like a nice idea, but he could never pay someone to help him. He was almost flat out broke, and if an assistant would charge by the hour then he couldn’t possibly have one.

 

“That’s a nice thought, Mr. Higgsbury, but I can’t afford to hire an assistant right now. I don’t even make enough money to help myself, nonetheless pay for someone else to help.” William signed, pushing his glasses up higher to rest on his nose comfortably.

 

Wilson frowned and stared at the ground for a moment, giving a hum. William knew the cogs in the man’s head were turning just from the knitting of his eyes brows and the way he tapped on his chin.

 

God, he was handsome. He had a little bit of stubble on his chin and his eyebrows were big and bushy. His eyes were the color of a smooth brandy with a tint of gold around the iris. The dark circles under his eyes showed to William the many sleepless nights the man had faced. His skin was so pale and smooth, and if you looked close enough you could see a small lining of faded freckles upon the man’s cheeks. He looked soft and fragile, but at the same time very masculine. William almost wanted to reach out and run his fingers through those raven locks, but that would be weird and he knew it.

 

He knew he was staring, but he really couldn’t stop. When Wilson looked up, their eyes locked and he could see them brighten with an idea. He grinned at William, causing the older man to smile back at him a bit shakily.

 

“Why not just train your assistant? You can start off with having it be like an apprenticeship and then when you both soar up to the top, you can start paying them.” Wilson shrugged. It sounded like a good idea to William, but at this point anything that beautiful man said would be music to his ears.

 

He wasn’t sure why he was taking a sudden interest in the scrawny little scientist. He had saw him nothing more than a mutual and teacher to his nieces, but maybe it was the way he looked tonight or maybe the way the soft, pink lights caressed his face, or maybe it was because this man had showed him so much kindness and care that he had begun to associate kindness and understanding with Wilson as a person. Whatever the situation may be, he could feel himself gravitating towards the man, and part of him knew it was wrong to be crushing on your nieces’ teacher.

 

“O-okay..that’s a really good idea, Wilson. Thank you.” He smiled over at him, actually taking the idea into consideration.

 

It was a pretty good idea, he must admit He could hire an assistant and they could learn together or something, then when they got big he could pay them for their help. He really needed someone there on stage to reassure him and help him with his tricks or cleanup.

 

Wilson gave him a gentle smile and a nod of approval. He was glad he could help William some more.

 

After a moment, the music stopped playing some random pop song the kids had chosen and it slowed down to something lighter and sweet. He saw some of the kids stop dancing and then began to do some kind of slow dance with one another. William glanced over at Wilson, wondering if they should make the kids stop, though the science teacher didn’t show any signs of interrupting the students.

 

“Is this..not inappropriate?” The magician asked, glancing around to try and find Wendy or Abigail. He soon remembered that a little boy had wanted to dance with Wendy. He better not get too handsy.

 

“As long as they don’t start doing anything suggestive, I’m fine with them dancing together.” The other man shrugged, watching some of the students with a small smile.

 

The two men stood there, listening to the slow song play and watching some of the kids dance and some of the continue to talk or lean against the wall and wait for the music to change. It was just a light slowly song that William didn’t know since he really didn’t keep up with this generation’s music.

 

Wilson seemed to enjoy it though, he was swaying a little bit and smiling softly. William heard him humming to the tune of the piano playing in the song and it made him smile.

 

“Hey, you wanna dance?” He heard the other man offer to him.

 

William’s heart fluttered lightly and he looked over to see Wilson smiling at him and holding one of his hands out. He had placed his cup down against a window sill.

 

William stared at his hand, face turning as pink as the lights. Wilson wanted to slow dance with him? Were they even allowed to do that? They were suppose to be watching the kids, though he did suppose the other parents and teachers there had their eyes on them as well.

 

But why him? Why there? His heart began to speed up and he looked a little nervous. He really wanted to take his hand, but he was kind of embarrassed and anxious.

 

Wilson gave him a small look. It was the same look from the day William had came into the meeting late. It was gentle and reassuring, and it calmed him a tad.

 

He gave Wilson a nervous grin and a light nod before accepting his hand. He really wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t danced with anyone in a long, long time, so he let Wilson lead it.

 

The smaller man moved his hands up to wrap around William’s neck loosely, nodding for William to move his hands down. The magician did so and took hold on Wilson’s waist. He could feel himself shaking and his palms beginning to sweat and warm up. God, he hoped Wilson wouldn’t notice.

 

The two waltzed together for a moment, staring at one another. William felt so nervous under his gaze, but he kept it together so Wilson wouldn’t think he was strange. He couldn’t believe this was even happening. What was happening? Did the science teacher have an interest in William? Or did he just want to dance for some reason.

 

It wasn’t until he felt the smaller man place his head on William’s chest that he started to show his apparent nervousness. His grip on Wilson tightened and he drew in a quick breath. He could feel Wilson chuckle under him. He could feel his warm cheeks pressed against his slim chest and his slightly calloused hands pressing against his neck.

 

Wilson could hear William’s wild heartbeat.

 

“You alright?” The shorter man asked his companion, glancing up at him through his long eyelashes.

 

William stared back down at him, giving him a nod as he refused to speak. If he did, he was sure he’d start stuttering and wouldn’t be able to form a complete sentence, then make an utter fool outta himself.

 

Wilson sent him another kind smile before giving a nod of his own and returned to resting against the taller’s chest. It wasn’t until the song stopped and changed that Wilson pulled away from and straightened himself back out.

 

He reached for his cup once again and William stood there dumbfounded, blushing intensely. He stared down at the ground as he moved to lean back against the wall and play with his now clasped hands.

 

Why had that happened exactly? Maybe he was overthinking it. It was just a simple dance that lasted about two minutes, but to William it felt like hours. He hadn’t remembered the last time he was ever so close to someone or the last time he put his arms around another person he wasn’t related to. It felt nice, but of all the people, why his nieces’ science teacher?

 

He glanced over to admire Wilson again, seeing the man staring down at the pink colored liquid in his glass. He, as well, had a light blush dusting his face.

 

William went to speak to him, but he was interrupted when he saw Wendy and Abigail, running through the crowd and towards the girl’s restroom. Abigail was chasing after Wendy and Wendy had her head down and arms crossed. It had only been a short glance, but he saw Wendy’s red face and the tears streaming down her cheeks. It was enough to pull him from his flustered state and put him into full blown kill mode.

 

He turned from Wilson and began to speed walk after the two girls, catching Wilson’s attention. The science teacher blinked and called out William’s name, but he didn’t pay him any mind. He had to make sure Wendy was okay.

 

Wilson eventually pushed through the crowd of kids and caught up with William right before the man could grab the bathroom handle. He was stopped abruptly by a smaller calloused hand being placed upon his own and a small glare.

 

“What’re you doing!? You can’t go in there!” Wilson’s face was twisted with

confusion at the man’s sudden actions. He grabbed William’s hand and tugged him back, awaiting an explanation from the raging magician.

 

“Wendy and Abigail went in there and Wendy was crying.” William quickly explained, glancing over at the bathroom door. He knew he couldn’t go in there. He was a grown ass man and that was a little girl’s restroom.

 

“Wendy was crying?” Wilson sounded appalled at that, his brandy colored eyes widening slightly. He had never even seen the girl smile, much less seen her cry. She always just had a displeased expression and dead eyes.

 

William gave him a curt nod, trying to think of what to do. God maybe he could ask one of the little girls to go check on her? Would that be weird? Yeah, it would.

 

He turned around and spotted the Tiffany woman from the PTA club and he quickly walked over to her, interrupting her conversation with another mother who was standing beside her.

 

“Excuse me! Can you do me a big favor? My niece went into the bathroom with her sister and she’s crying. Can you go check on her for me? Please?” He was almost begging Tiffany at this point, but when the woman saw Wilson behind him and the look of distraught William had, she gave him a slow nod and excused herself from her friend.

 

Tiffany walked over to the bathroom and entered it, William and Wilson watching her from afar. It took about five minutes for her to return, but she had Wendy and Abigail with her. Wendy’s face was slightly red and blotchy around her eyes and Abigail had a huge frown plastered to her face. They both looked miserable, but it was probably for different reasons.

 

William moves and went over to give them both a hug, but Wendy moved before he could and sent him a scowl. It caused a pang of pain to spike through William’s chest, but he allowed her some space. Abigail returned his hug though.

 

“What happened?” Wilson asked when he walked up to them, leaning down to get to Wendy’s height.

 

The distraught little girl crossed her arms and glared over at the nearby wall, her jaw held tightly. She wasn’t going to speak it seemed.

 

“Wendy and Webber started dancing and then some of the girls made fun of her and called her mean names and then Webber started being mean to her too.” Abigail informed, holding on to William’s arm tightly.

 

Wendy sent her sister a glare, her blue eyes welling up with tears once more as she choked back a sob.

 

“C-can..can we just go home? Please, Uncle William?” She finally spoke up, her voice cracking as she turned her back towards the three adults surrounding her. She could feel their eyes and the eyes of her fellow students boring into her frame. She felt small and helpless and scared.

 

William himself felt horrid as well. He was so upset that his lovely niece had gotten her feelings hurt, but also angry at the little girls and the boy who had made fun of her. Part of him wanted to find these kids and..

 

And do nothing. He couldn’t hurt children, even if he was infuriated. Even if he went and talked down to them, they wouldn’t care and wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t really do anything but comfort Wendy.

 

“I’m so sorry, Wendy.. Maybe you should go?” Wilson placed a hand on Wendy’s shoulder before looking up at William and giving him a frown.

 

“But-“

 

“It’s okay. They need to go home. Thank you for your help tonight.” The science teacher gave him a small nod, urging him to leave, and William let out an exhale in response.

 

He tried to grab Wendy’s hand, but she pulled away from him and began to walk out the door which made Abigail run after he and beg her to wait up.

 

William sent Wilson one last look of despondency and gave him a small wave before he followed suit with his nieces.

 

When he had made it towards his car, he found the girls already inside and buckled up. Abigail was staring down at her clasped hands and Wendy had her head against the window with her eyes closed tightly to prevent any tears from rolling down her cheeks.

 

The car ride home was silent and awkward, something William wasn’t use to when around them. Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed it seemed like. It was just quiet. All that could be heard was the car’s wheels against the gravel roads and the light music come from the turned down radio.

 

William didn’t want to say anything that would upset either of them anyways. Wendy was also so closed up from him, but now she was too far away. He wouldn’t be able to get to her now after this. It would probably pass in a few days, but then again he wasn’t sure. Things like this could hurt a kid for a good time.

 

He parked the car when they made it home and Wendy was the first to get out. She ran up to the door and waited for William to unlock, and when he did, she zoomed off to her room and slammed the door shut.

 

“I’m sorry, Uncle William. I’m gonna try to make her feel better. Thank you for taking us to the dance.” William heard Abigail’s soft voice say from behind him as they walked inside.

 

Soon, she too had retreated to their bedroom and the door opened and closed once again, but it locked this time.

 

The magician shook his head as he made his way towards their living room and slumped down upon the leather loveseat in the corner of the room. He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes, letting out a deep sigh from within himself. He hated how well things had been going that night and then they ended up so poorly because of a couple of little brats. He truly felt for Wendy. He had dealt with so much bullying throughout middle school and early high school. He wondered if this bullying was a reoccurring thing for her? If so, she never showed it, and that was the part that scared William.

 

The man ended up falling asleep on the couch, and only got up when Jack had came home that night at 1 a.m. Jack had asked how the dance went, but William told him he would tell him later as it was a lot. He ended up retreating to his room and fell asleep around 3 a.m after contemplating some things.

 

His mind kept drifting back to Wilson and their dance. He kept smelling the slightly sweet scent on the scientist and feeling his warm face and hands on his body. He kept seeing those eyes gazing up at him and the small smiles he would give him.

 

Then he thought about what Wilson had said.

 

An assistant.

 

Yes, that’s what he needed. Someone to help him out during his acts, on and off stage. He wasn’t sure how many people would even sign up to actually be his assistant in the first place, but it wouldn’t hurt to try he supposed. He promised himself he would put out an ad earlier that week. They wouldn’t have to be experienced and they wouldn’t have to know too much about magic itself, but they would have to provide their own costume and transportation and such.

 

He would have to thank Wilson some time for the idea, and also for helping him with the girls, and also for dancing with him. That last part would be an awkward conversation, but part of William wished it would spark more if they even conversed about it.

 

For now, he would just put his focus on finding an assistant.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for your kudos. i hope you all are enjoying this work. this chapter is a tad shorter than my others, but mainly because I wasn’t too sure on how to write it. Things take off in the next chapter though so get ready.

Wilson 

 

  Yet again, another successful fundraiser by Mr. Higgsbury.

 

  Wilson didn’t wanna toot his own horn or anything, but before he became the president of the PTA, the club itself kinda sucked, though he’d never truly admit that to anyone around him.

 

  The dance had attracted almost all of the student body, except for a few kids here and there who just didn’t wanna go. They had raised a lot of money from the participants, and it was almost enough to cover the rest of the funding the school would need for text books next year.

 

 The night had gone pretty smoothly and the clean up did as well. The only thing that kept replaying in Wilson’s mind was William Carter.

 

  Asking the man to dance with him may have been outta line, but then again it was just a small dance. The school and the staff was already well aware that Mr. Higgsbury was homosexual. When he first got there, a rumor had spread among the students and somehow ended up to the teachers.

 

  He had received a bit of backlash from his fellow staff, and even a few parents had called to complain on him, stating they didn’t want him teaching their child. He simply couldn’t believe this was happening and especially in this century of all times.

 

  Though it had passed over and he ended up becoming well loved by the school, it still didn’t stop the little looks and glances the students or his staff would send him.

 

  It wasn’t anything he hadn’t received before. He had dealt with it almost all his life anyways.

 

  During high school he was forced to sign up for some sport by his father, so he had chosen swim as it was simple and didn’t require him to have that much experience, though that had been an awful choice.

 

  His sexuality had already gotten out to around half the school and when he joined the swim team he began to be picked on by a group of boys there.

 

  They called him awful words like faggot and queer, and event attempted to drown him in the practice pool when their coach had turned away once.

 

  When his mother had passed away, things had gotten to the point where he felt suicidal and ready to break down.

 

  He couldn’t trust in his father to try and stop the bullying, and his sexuality to his father was a secret anyways. Wilson feared for his life if the man knew.

 

  He was certain his dad still didn’t know after twenty two years, but they hardly spoke anymore so it didn’t matter even if he did.

 

  Although, Wilson had never really found love anywhere. He was always too scared to even try and dating apps were ridiculous and scared him. He had a few crushes in high school and even in college, but nobody compared to the way William Carter swarmed his mind.

 

  It was stupid. He was stupid. The man was about ten years older than him at least, and Wilson knew deep down it was dumb to fall for an older man.

 

  And on top of that, the older man was in his PTA and the caregiver of two of his beloved students. Yes, he was very stupid indeed. Very stupid, very unprofessional and very out of line.

 

  The sweet touch of the magician’s hands stilled lingered on Wilson’s slim hips whenever he thought of the man. The way his cheeks had been dusted shades of pinks and reds throughout the night, and his little smiles and nervous ticks were engraved into Wilson’s mind.

 

  William Carter’s presence lingered like a ghost and Wilson wanted the man to keep on haunting him.

 

  He wasn’t really sure where the small attraction to the man had sprung from. Wilson tried to tell himself it was probably just loneliness. Humans were very simple creatures and he knew he was no exception. If a human got lonely enough, they would most likely attempt to form a connection with someone out of the blue.

 

  Wilson wasn’t sure if this was his case though.

 

  He could make a list of the things he found cute about William like his little stutter, the way he was quiet during their meetings, the way he cared about his nieces to the point of almost bursting into a women’s restroom to check on them, his towering height over Wilson, the way he dressed so dapperly..

 

  A small scream brought Wilson back to the reality he hadn’t realized he spaced out of. He glanced up from the paperwork he was grading, his brandy colored eyes wide as he looked around the classroom. What the fuck?

 

  What he saw was something very surprising.

 

  Wendy Carter was standing up, fistfuls of red hair in her right hand and a pencil in her left. She had an estranged looked plastered on her young face as she pointed the sharpened pencil at another little girl, who was sobbing and shaking with a big bald spot on the side of her head.

 

  The other students in class had whipped out their cell phones and began to film what was happening, and Abigail was standing behind her sister, her eyes wide with fear.

 

  “Wendy stop!” Abigail choked out, grabbing her sister’s arm from behind, only to be shoved back and to fall on her behind.

 

  Wendy acted too fast for Wilson to react and the deranged little girl lifted up the pencil and jabbed the lead into the arm of her victim, staring at her with an almost bored look as the other little girl let out a sharp pitched scream and a sob.

 

  Wilson quickly jumped up, papers flying off his desk and his rolling chair hitting the back of the wall. He ran over and grabbed Wendy by the wrist, roughly tugging her away from the other girl.

 

  One of the other girls who wasn’t record ran over to the redhead girl and tried to make her stop crying, but it was to no avail. Wendy had jabbed that thing in pretty good.

 

  “Samantha! Take Carly to the nurse right now!” The science teacher snapped over at the girl beside the redhead. Samantha gave the teacher a nod and helped her friend stand up, holding her arm for her.

 

  Wilson opened his classroom door and pulled Wendy outside, fuming with anger and astonishment at the little girl. He couldn’t believe her! She was a weird little girl and she hardly spoke during class, but she was never a problem until now.

 

  “Let me go!” Wendy hissed up at her teacher, making Wilson’s eyes widened and then he sent her a glare.

 

  “What is your problem, young lady?!” He yelled at her, catching the attention from a few students lingering in the halls and one teacher who had her classroom door open.

 

  “Screw you, Mr. Higgsbury!” Wendy growled, making Wilson blink at her. He was slightly taken aback by that. Wendy usually seemed to like him and now she was acting out.

 

  Wilson shook his head. He couldn’t get distracted. He brought her towards the office and opened the door, catching the attention of the secretary and a few helper students who were sitting at a table in some cushioned seats.

 

  “I need you to phone Mr. William Carter now. We just had an incident.” He told the woman, his eyes hard and firm like amber as he stared at her.

 

  “What happened?” The woman asked, leaning over her desk to look at Wendy with wide eyes and a confused expression.

 

  Wendy glared back up at her, her eyes sharp like cold sapphires.

 

  “This young lady stabbed one of her fellow students and ripped out a chunk of her hair.” Wilson growled, his grip on Wendy’s wrist tightening slightly, enough to make Wendy hiss in pain and try to pull away from him.

 

  The secretary gave a nod and Wilson let go of Wendy’s arm before he pointed over to one of the cushioned seats.

 

  Silently, Wendy rolled her eyes and walked over to plop down, her cold and dead eyes staring daggers into her science teacher. She raised a hand up when the secretary turned to grab the phone and flipped Wilson the bird.

 

  His eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something in return to her, but he shut his mouth and decided against it.

 

  It didn’t take long for the secretary to get William on the phone and for the man to arrive at the school.

 

  By that point, the principal had gotten involved, and Wendy and Wilson ended up in his office to wait for William.

 

  Wilson had been informed that the little Carly girl was okay now, but her hair was messed up badly and she was shaken up from the entire event. One of the other teachers had been sent to watch after Wilson’s class for him so he wouldn’t have to worry about his other students.

 

  When William walked through the door, Wilson could see the small flicker of fear pass over Wendy’s face before she quickly extinguished it and settled back to her normal look of boredom.

 

  “Mr. Carter.” Principal Whitmore looked up from his desk as he saw William enter. The man looked as anxious as ever. Maybe even a bit more than he usually did.

 

  “A-ah. Y-yes sir. I’m sorry for..for my delay.” He let out a dry laugh and looked from Wilson to Wendy to the principal.

 

  Wendy was slumped in a chair with her arms crossed over her chest and glaring out the window in the office, her expression bored and dull. Wilson had a look of vexation with his bushy black eyebrows turned upwards and knitted together. His hands with clasped tightly, enough that it turned his pale knuckles scarlet.

 

  “Take a seat, sir.” The principal motioned for William to sit beside Wilson, and the man forcefully obliged.

 

  The air in the room was timid and awkward. Wilson felt like he was in a court room, being tried for murder or some sort. He hated this. It had been a week since he had even seen William Carter, and this meet up wasn’t even close to ideal.

 

  The man looked over at him with a confused expression. He was so lost, so dreadfully lost. It was almost cute to Wilson to see those big brown eyes wide with perplexity. He wanted to reach out and cup his cheek and tell him things would be okay, but he knew for a fact nothing would be okay.

 

  “Mr. Carter, it appears that your daughter-“

 

  “Niece.” William quickly corrected, only to be shot a look from the principal that meant ‘don’t interrupt me again.’

 

  “-your niece, had been acting out. According to Mr. Higgsbury, Wendy assaulted a female classmate by pulling out her hair and stabbing her in the arm with a pencil. We will not tolerate this kind of behavior in our school, sir.”

 

  William nodded at ever word, his hands gripping the bottom of the leather seat as the man in front of him spoke. Wilson could see the little beads of sweat beginning to collect on his forehead and for a brief moment, he felt so sorry for William.

 

  “Y-yes, sir! I understand..I just.. We’ve been having trouble at home, sir. I think it’s been getting to Wendy and it’s causing h-her to..act out.” The magician frowned, glancing over at his niece who held her jaw tightly and shifted a tad in her seat.

 

  “I see. Well I’m very sorry for your inconveniences, sir, but Wendy needs to learn to separate her home life from her school life, and regardless of that she should know not to harm another student for Christ’s sake.”

 

  Principal Whitmore’s tone refused to soften up as he stared over at William. He seemed more angry towards him than he did Wendy, and it almost caused Wilson to send his boss and nasty look, though that wouldn’t be very wise of him and he knew this.

 

  William exhaled shakily and gave the principal a nod. He began to nervously fiddle with his thumbs. Old habits.

 

  “Yes, sir.”

 

  “I’m giving her three days of suspension. I also expect an apology letter to Mr. Higgsbury and her classmate-“

 

  “She was being mean to me!” Wendy jumped out of her seat before the principal could continue, her cold eyes glaring daggers at him.

 

  “At the dance she made fun of me and during class she started calling me names and she called Abigail stupid so I hurt her to make her stop talking! I didn’t wanna hear her stupid voice anymore!” Wendy hissed, her little hands balled into fists at her sides.

 

  William’s eyes went wide and he snapped his head over to look at his niece and then Wilson, who also looked flabbergasted at the sudden outburst from the usually reserved child.

 

  “Why didn’t you tell Mr. Higgsbury that this girl was bullying you and your sister?” The principal looked annoyed at Wendy’s torrent, but he heeded what she had to say.

 

  Wendy stopped for a moment and looked a bit lost. Her brain was going a minute to nothing as she thought about what had been said to her. She went to open her mouth, but closed it suddenly and glared down at the floor. For a moment, her blue eyes went hazy and Wilson could see tears forming out of the corners, then she blinked and they disappeared. She sat back in the chair, her little fists placed on her knees.

 

  “Never mind. Forget it. Just suspend me.” She muttered bitterly.

 

  Wilson and William exchanged a look to one another, then looked back up at the principal to see him frowning.

 

  “Very well then. You’re all wasting my time here anyhow. I’m giving Wendy three days of home suspension. I’m going to speak to a few of the other students to see what they have to say about this, and if they tell me something important that can lower her sentence then I will contact you.” The principal told William.

 

  William gave a nod and looked back at Wendy, a frown tugging on his thick lips and disappointment clear as day on face.

 

  Wilson really didn’t know what to think at this point. Wendy had started to explain herself, but then just gave up midway through. Why hadn’t she told him? He knew that something had happened at the dance that night, but he didn’t know that it was one of her classmates that had been mean to her, and he didn’t know that it would carry over into school. Maybe she felt like telling Wilson would be pointless. Maybe she felt like telling the principal that she didn’t want to tell Wilson would be pointless.

 

  No matter what it was, it didn’t matter now. She was suspended for her violence and rudeness towards her teacher and the principal.

 

  Principal Whitmore thanked William for coming to speak to her and dismissed all three of the people from his office. William decided to go ahead and take Wendy home for the day as he saw no reason for her to be at school anymore. Wendy was allowed to head back to the classroom to grab her things, leaving the two adults in the office together.

 

  Wilson leaned against the empty secretary’s desk and William stood awkwardly beside him, staring down at the hard wood floor with abaffled look.

 

  Neither man spoke a word to one another. Wilson wasn’t sure if it was because of the awkwardness from the entire situation or if it was because there were no words to share at all.

 

  He couldn’t stand it. He needed to talk to him. He wanted to hear his voice. He wanted to ask him what was happening at home. He wanted to make sure he was okay, and if Wendy and Abigail were okay. It was going to eat him alive.

 

  “William.”


	5. Chapter 5

William

 

Everything seemed a tad far away for William at that moment. 

 

He knew where he was and what was going on, but it’s like his brain wasn’t fully registering everything and he was just running on autopilot.

 

He felt like he was in a dark tunnel, trying to crawl out towards a bright light at the end and he could hear a train come up behind him, but the closer he got, the farther away the light would be. 

 

He felt like he heard some yelling at the other side of the tunnel. They were calling to him, trying to force him back to his sad little reality, but he just wanted to stay in that tunnel and ignore it. 

 

He stared down at the hard wood flooring of the office, his hands shaking slightly as he continued to space out. He kept thinking back to Wendy. His poor niece had acted out, and even went to lengths to talk back to her principal.

 

She usually wasn’t like this. All of her past teachers had informed William that she was always a top student who got her work done quickly and then sat in the back of the class with her twin sister and stared off into space with dead eyes. She was creepy, yes, but not a troublemaker. 

 

“William.”

 

He heard Wilson call his name, but he couldn’t shake his daze. There were too many thoughts running through his head that talking seemed useless. He didn’t want to speak because he was afraid of what he might say in the situation.

 

“Did you hear me?”

 

A cold and slightly calloused hand grabbed his own, pulling him from his trance.He shot his head over, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. 

 

Wilson was staring up at him with a small annoyed expression. Maybe it wasn’t annoyance at him, but William still couldn’t shake the small song of guilt that struck him from the look.

 

“H-huh?” He coughed out, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. He sounded like a complete fool at this point. He even looked like it with his frazzled hair and lowered glasses. 

 

Wilson’s expression softened a bit and he pulled his hand away from the other man’s to cross his arms over his scrawny chest. He rose a rather bushy brow and leaned back against the assistance’s desk, his feet crossed over one another.

 

“I said, ‘what’s going on at home?’. Look, I know it really isn’t my business, but it’s affecting one of my students so I just want to let you know that I’m here to help.” His expression stayed serious, which scared William a little bit. 

 

During the PTA meetings, Wilson was always so happy go lucky and eager to help the people around him. He also had a witty sense of humor and a charming demeanor. It was obvious to William why so many people at the school fancied him.

 

Seeing a serious side of the man was just weird. It reminded William of the situation entirely. It reminded him of their family struggles and what was going on, and it was something he wanted to run from and not think about. He hadn’t spoke to Jack about things in days. He was too scared to bring it up in fear of the answer. 

 

He looked over Wilson once more before he gave a small sigh. He was practically forcing himself to speak at this point. He wanted to bite his tongue, get Wendy, and go home, but a small sliver of himself wanted to tell Wilson everything. It was dumb, and he didn’t know the man all too well to be spilling his guts to him in a school office, but he had no other close friends to turn to and things had bottled up for him.

 

“We..are having financial issues. My brother, Jack, can’t afford to pay our landlord this month and if he can’t do this month then there’s no way he can do next. He already has two jobs as it is..” He trailed off,  shaking his head lightly. 

 

He needed to help Jack. He knew that, but his education only went as far as high school. He wanted to be a magician so badly ever since he was a teenager, but god it was leaving them in debt and forcing him to rely on his older brother for stability.

 

He was far too old to be living with his family, he knew this, so why couldn’t he grow up and accept that what he wanted was simply a fantasy? Maybe it was just that small little spark of hope that kept him going..

 

He couldn’t do this anymore.

 

Abigail and Wendy didn’t deserve this. They deserved a happy, comfortable life. They deserved to live peacefully with their father and not have to look at their pathetic excuse of an uncle every single day. He was the reason they couldn’t be financially stable. It was his fault.

 

He hadn’t realized the prickling tears in the corner of his eyes until he sniffled. Wilson himself heard it as well, and his entire demeanor shifted from a serious schoolteacher to a concerned friend.

 

“Hey, hey..it’s okay.” The man said softly, leaning up from his original position and placing his hand tenderly on William’s shoulder.

 

Great. Now his grown ass was about to cry in a school office.

 

He closed his eyes tightly to try and fight back the self pity wallowing up in his throat, and then reopened them to look down at Wilson once again with glossy brown eyes.

 

“Sorry.” He sighed out shakily, bringing a hand up to place his palm on his forehead.All of this was giving him a headache.

 

Wilson stayed silent for a moment, but his hand continued to rest on William’s shoulder under the man seemed to get a grip on himself and calm down. Wilson pulled away from him once again and shoved his thumbs into his front pockets, pursing his lips.

 

“So you guys needs need money?” The science teacher asked, the little cogs in his brain beginning to turn with ideas as always.

 

William gave a nod, biting the inside of his cheek. He listened to Wilson silently, willing to take in whatever information the man could give him at this point.

 

Wilson gave a small hum and tapped his foot against the hard wood before he finally spoke out again.

 

“Well..how’s your assistant thing going?” He asked him, giving a small shrug.

 

William didn’t even wanna talk about that either. When Wilson had suggested it that night to him, he set out and made a few flyers and stuck them around Shady Falls and on the outskirts of San Fran. He felt confident that someone would call or email him by now, but no dice.

 

He shook his head, not wanting to say it aloud. It was kind of embarrassing to him.

 

“Nothing, huh? Well..don’t give up hope there. I’m sure it’ll eventually happen, but in the mean time why not just take out a loan at your bank or something? I know paying back money isn’t ideal, but maybe just until things take off for you? So you can help Jack?”

 

The idea would probably sound grand to a normal person, but William knew his credit wasn’t in the best place right then and a bank may not even allow him a loan. It was just one inconvenience in his poor little life after the other.

 

He didn’t want to burden Wilson with this any longer anyways. The man was trying to help him. He was always trying to help him. He didn’t even suggest William quit entirely and find a new job. It seemed that nowadays Wilson was just his little savior that came in when he was at an all time low. He felt very grateful towards the man.

 

“O-okay.. Thank you, Wilson.” He answered, clasping his hands together as he stood beside the other. He wouldn’t argue or try to find an excuse. He knew that if a bank wouldn’t loan him, someone else would.

 

Wilson gave him a curt nod in respond and a small smile, which made William’s stiff shoulders relax slightly. He was such a nice little man.

 

“I’ll try to help you find an assistant, too. My sister’s girlfriend is a stage performer so maybe she knows someone willing to help you out! Then you can get some kind of professional work or something.” The science teacher grinned at that, puffing his chest out slightly at the idea.

 

William let a small chuckle pass his lips at Wilson’s actions and gave him a hum in return. For a second, he pondered on what having Wilson as his assistant would be like.

 

He wanted to be close to him. He wanted to be on a stage with him because the man kept him calm and reassured. If he had Wilson nearby, he could get his acts done with confidence. He knew that was a key thing he was lacking throughout this whole ordeal.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Wendy opening the front office door and walking in with her backpack on. She looked over at the two adult men, raising a brow at them.

 

At the sight of her, William’s frigid nature returned and uncertainty settled back in. He was reminded of why he was there now, and he hated it.

 

“Well..thank you for everything, Wilson. I’ll..try to keep you updated if that okay with you?” The words slipped past his lips before he could process what he was saying, and Wilson gave him a gentle smile and a chuckle.

 

“That’s fine. I look forward to hearing from you..” The man turned to look over at Wendy, his smile dropping.

 

A look of sympathy instead replaced it and he bent down to get to her height. Her cold blue eyes stared daggers at him, but he ignored it and gently grabbed her arm.

 

“Wendy..I’m going to pretend like today didn’t happen, okay? You don’t need to write me an apology letter, but I still expect one for Carly. I’ll see you in three days.” He gave her a small pat and stood back up.

 

Wendy didn’t utter a word and instead walked past him and her uncle. She opened the door to the exit and headed off, leaving the two men to stand there and watch her.

 

“Take care of her, okay? She’s..she’s a good kid, despite this.” Wilson sighed, running a hand through his raven locks, then turned to walk back towards his class room.

 

At that, William left the building as well and followed Wendy out towards the car.


End file.
